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A few weeks ago, a group of people drafting a petition at the White House petition site made headlines for their request that the United States government "secure funding and resources, and begin construction on a Death Star by 2016." The petition garnered well over the 25,000 required supporters needed for the White House to provide a response.

Today, the White House has officially responded, and explains exactly why it will not be building a Death Star. The Administration cites first of all the enormous cost of the endeavor and points out that it opposes the destruction of planets. Wisely, the White House also stated, "Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?"

I admit I got a chuckle out of this, but for the most part I find the White House petition site to be something of a waste of time. Especially when people use it for gimmicks like building a Death Star or demanding the deportation of talk show hosts. That said, there is one truly positive thing about the White House's response to this petition. Rather than simply leave it at the geek level, the Petition team went on to note some of the incredible work being done by NASA, both by itself and in cooperation with the private sector.

If it takes a silly gimmick like a Death Star petition to get people to see some of the amazing things being accomplished by our space program, I'm all for that.